Ashley Massillon, ‘14, a Funeral Services Administration major from Brooklyn, was among only seven students from across the country to receive the award.

“Ashley has many sensitive and caring qualities; she is an example of what a future funeral director should be when graduating from SUNY Canton,” said David R. Penepent, SUNY Canton assistant professor and Funeral Services Administration program director. “She is an exceptional student and most deserving of this scholarship.”

Ashley Massillon from Brooklyn was awarded a scholarship from the AmericanBoard of Funeral Service Education. She is pictured with David R.Penepent, SUNY Canton Funeral Services Administration program director,left, and Barry W. Walch, visiting assistant professor of Funeral ServicesAdministration.

Massillon is also active in the College’s Funeral Service Administration Club. After graduation, she plans to become a licensed funeral director and aspires to own her own funeral home.

The College’s four-year Funeral Services Administration program is one of the very few mortuary administration majors of its kind in the United States.

The ABFSE serves as the national academic accreditation agency for college and university programs in Funeral Service and Mortuary Science Education. ABFSE is the sole accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation in this field. SUNY Canton’s Funeral Services Administration program received its initial accreditation from the ABFSE in 2012.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton offers a variety of career-driven bachelor’s degrees in addition to its associate and certificate programs. In the past year, the College added two new bachelor’s degrees and expanded its facilities with a new athletic center, nicknamed Roos House, and the Grasse River Suites Residence Hall. The College’s faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to their academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers flexible and convenient online courses and programs. The College’s 14 athletic teams compete as provisional members of the NCAA Division III as well as the USCAA.

“By meeting stringent demands of the accrediting agency, we further highlight the strengths of one of our most intensely career-driven programs,” said SUNY Canton Interim President Carli C. Schiffner. “This accreditation is the result of months of work and the cumulative efforts of Program Director David R. Penepent and Interim Dean Kenneth Erickson, with help from many departments and individuals.”

Funeral Services Administration Director David R. Penepent presents SUNY Canton Interim President Carli C. Schiffner with the certificate of accreditation for his program.

The College’s funeral services administration program is one of the very few four-year mortuary science majors in the United States. It is also one of the only programs of its kind within the SUNY System.

“The funeral services administration program has been designed to place a greater emphasis on the skills and knowledge needed to equip graduates with practical information that can be used in the rapidly changing funeral profession,” Penepent said. “Students in the program have an opportunity to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom in their practicum and internship experience in a funeral home of their choosing.”

Currently, the funeral services administration program has approximately 40 students. The program is designed for first-time first-year students and working professionals.

One of the program’s many advantages is that funeral directors who are currently licensed and working in the profession have an opportunity to complete their degree online and complete their bachelor degree at their own pace, Penepent said. The program grants licensed funeral directors life experience credits for their skills and knowledge in the profession.

“I wish a program like this existed when I was going to mortuary school because I would have had an opportunity to see how mortuary theory was applied in a real-life setting before graduation,” the program director said.

Future plans for the program include new classrooms, a restorative art lab, and a new multi-purpose chapel to be used for mock funeral services.

The ABFSE serves as the national academic accreditation agency for college and university programs in Funeral Service and Mortuary Science Education. The U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation recognize it as the sole accrediting agency for academic programs that prepare funeral service professionals. Receiving programmatic accreditation ensures that the program has been evaluated and meets, or exceeds, set standards of quality determined by the ABFSE.

The four-year program was unveiled in 2010 and replaced the College’s two-year mortuary science program. Previously it was a candidate for accreditation through the same agency.